Katja Kipping, CEO of the Paritätischer Gesamtverband, is calling for a fundamental change to the healthcare system amidst the ongoing discussion about care reform. Speaking to RTL and ntv on Tuesday, Kipping argued that the time has come to set the course for a sustainable future for care services, stating that this requires the courage to implement a genuine reform towards a comprehensive care insurance model. While she acknowledged that complete coverage of all costs is not an immediate solution, she warned that without it, Germany will remain trapped in a cycle of poor decisions.
Kipping specifically criticized the reform package proposed by Health Minister Carsten Linnemann of the CDU. She maintained that care must remain affordable for those needing it, asserting that this cannot be achieved if the focus remains solely on budget cuts. She accused Linnemann of continuously increasing the self-share payments required from patients and of failing to ensure adequate pay for care workers. Kipping stressed that this sends a deeply negative signal to young people, who should be attracted to the profession, creating what she calls the future care crisis.
On a more positive note, Kipping supported the Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) demand for capping the co-payments of residents in care homes. She pointed out that a third of all people requiring care are dependent on social benefits because they cannot afford the expenses otherwise. Furthermore, she demanded that the federal government immediately repay the five billion euros that were diverted from care funds during the Corona pandemic.
